Woodworth awaits word on release

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Chillicothe News - Chillicothe, MO

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Posted Feb. 14, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Updated Feb 14, 2013 at 12:20 PM

Posted Feb. 14, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Updated Feb 14, 2013 at 12:20 PM

PLATTSBURG — Platte County Circuit Judge Owens Lee Hull Jr., who is assigned to the Mark Woodworth case, has taken the defendant's request for bond under advisement, and a ruling could come at anytime, possibly even by tomorrow (Friday), the Constitution-Tribune has learned.

A hearing took place at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Clinton County Courthouse in Plattsburg. A large delegation of individuals supporting Woodworth's release, crowded into the courtroom and adjoining hallway. Among those present, was Dale Helmig, who had been serving a life sentence for 14 years until his murder conviction was reversed and he was released from custody in 2010. The judge, at the time of his release, stated that Helmig was a victim of injustice. Helmig had been incarcerated at Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron, which is the same facility where Woodworth had been serving.

Woodworth was released from state custody in January, after the Missouri Supreme Court overturned his conviction, and he was transferred into the custody of Livingston County. He is being held at the Daviess DeKalb Regional Jail in Pattonsburg.

The Missouri Attorney General's Office has said that it intends to retry Woodworth in the 1990 shooting death of Catherine Robertson, and the criminal assault on her husband. Woodworth has maintained his innocence since a grand jury indicted him in 1993. Woodworth was 16 at the time of the shootings.